The Last Laugh
by LucyLizJones
Summary: When a Vincent Doherty, a British gangster, flees to Gotham to make it big and escape from his violent rivals, he is unlucky enough to catch the eye of the Joker, who isn't pleased by the new show of power. The clown chooses to target Doherty's only daughter, Neve, which leads the naive young girl into a world of violence that her father desperately tried to conceal from her. DARK.
1. Surprise, Surprise

**A/N:** This story is going to be dark, very limited fluff, and contain many mature themes such as rape, abuse, bad language, death, violence, self harm, drug use etc.. If you're offended by anything that I write, I would advise you to stop reading as it will not get any better if you continue. Thank you.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Batman or DC Comics because if I did I would be rolling around on a bed of £50 notes whilst watching a naked Benedict Cumberbatch perform aerial acrobatics.

* * *

**Chapter One**

Chilling laughter began to fill the room and its occupants all sat up taller in their chairs, peering into the darkness in which the sound was emanating from.

It began to draw to a close. "Ha ho hee ha aha… and I thought my jokes were bad?" The emerging figure said.

He was quite tall although hunched over slightly, dressed in a tailored suit made up of a slightly worn purple trench coat with matching pin-stripe trousers that were kept up with suspenders. Underneath this, he wore a green waistcoat and a light blue shirt with a hexagonal pattern. His face was white with flaking greasepaint, with blackened eyes, red smeared over his gruesome scars and greasy, green unkempt hair on top of his head. The Joker.

"Gimme one reason why I shouldn't have my boy here pull your head off?" Gambol, one of the mobsters threatened.

"How about a magic trick?" He paused whilst Gambol motioned for his bodyguard to deal with the irritating clown. "I'm gonna make this pencil disappear." The Joker stated after taking out a pencil and stabbing it into the table.

The man had reached him in a few steps and reached up with his palm to try and grab the purple-clad murderer, but before he could get a fistful of his suit the Joker had his hand on the back of his head and pushed him down onto the pencil, sending it through his eye socket.

"Ta-da! It's ma- gone…" He rasped before turning his attention back to the table of bosses.

"Oh and by the way the suit, it wasn't cheap… You oughta know, you bought it." He goaded, readjusting the trench coat as he did.

Immediately Gambol was on his feet but before he could open his mouth the Russian boss, Chechen, interrupted.

"Sit. I want to hear proposition." He said in a heavy accent.

The Joker licked his lips and pointed to Chechen, his eyes darting back and forth around the room, whilst Gambol slowly returned to his seat, his heated glare never leaving the clown sat across from him.

"Let's wind the clocks back a year… These cops and lawyers wouldn't _dare _cross any of you. Uh, I mean what happened? D'ya balls drop off? Hmm? You see a guy like me…"

He was interrupted by Gambol. "Freak." This caused the other men in the room to chuckle as the Joker sat by and sucked on his scars.

"A guy like me…" He trailed off. "Look, listen, I know why you choose to have your little–" He paused to cough. "–group therapy sessions in broad daylight, I know why you're afraid to go out at night. _The Batman_." He drawled before continuing.

"You see, Batman has shown Gotham your true colours unfortunately. Dent, he's just the beginning. And as for the uh, television's so called plan… Batman has no jurisdiction; he'll find him and make him squeal." He pointed at the television showing Lau's face and mimed strangling him. "I know the squealers when I see them, and…"

Chechen spoke. "What do you propose?"

The Joker grinned. "It's simple, we uh- kill the Batman." At this all the mobsters laughed and turned to each other with large smirks on their faces at the seemingly ludicrous idea.

For the first time since the Joker arrived, Sal Maroni spoke up. "If it's so simple, why haven't you done it already?" He questioned.

"If you're good at something, never do it for free." He growled in response.

Again Chechen spoke. "How much you want?"

The Joker leaned forward in his seat slightly before answering. "Uh… Half." Again, causing the group of bosses to chuckle amongst themselves.

To his right, someone hissed. "You're crazy."

He cut his eyes at them and sucked on his right scar. "I'm not. No, I'm not." He said abruptly noticing that Gambol was glowering at him and clenching his fists with barely concealed rage.

"If we don't deal with this now soon…" He shrugged. "Little, uh-Gambol here won't be able to get a nickel for his grandma." He taunted.

At this, the gangster in mention slammed his fists down on the table, having enough of the man talking to him and finally losing his temper.

"Enough, from the clown!" He stood up simultaneously with the Joker who opened his jacket to reveal four hand grenades connect by a string that was wrapped around his finger. Soon, most of the mobsters were out of their chairs and backing aware at the new threat.

"A-ta-ta-ta-ta, let's not _blow _this out of proportion." He twisted.

Still not deterred, Gambol continued. "You think you can steal from us and just walk away?"

"Yeah…" The Joker drawled.

"I'm putting the word out. Five-hundred grand for this clown dead, a million alive– so I can teach him some manners first." The livid boss growled, baring his teeth.

"Alright so, listen, why don't' you give me a call when you wanna start taking things a little more seri-ous-ly…" The clown said, flashing his tongue out over the scar on his lower lip.

"Here's my card." He placed the Joker card down on the table before all the men, and started to back up, glancing back and forth between them and Gambol, all the while gently tugging on the string connected to the grenades. Once he reached the door, he kicked it open and disappeared from sight in a flash.

**5:30am, Gotham City Limits…**

Despite the meeting with the mob bosses last night, the Joker was in a good mood and so far his current plan was working perfectly. With practiced stealth, he shifted quietly from one foot to the other, silently pacing around the room. Gaining access to the house had proven to be an easy task; one of his goons had overridden the security system so that he was free to roam the house without alerting its inhabitants of his presence. So far, he'd only run into the maid inside the house, who was now locked in a cupboard, unconscious, bound and gagged. It was after much searching that he found himself in his current position, debating his next move.

Ignoring the sleeping body sprawled across the bed, he went to examine the mirrored dressing table, picking up and messing with everything in sight. A silver, engraved hairbrush caught his eye and he ran his leather-clad fingertips over the symbols and traced the grooves that spelt out a name. He pocketed the brush and slipped an object out of his inner breast pocket to place on the table in exchange. The room was elegantly decorated and he felt psychically sick at the 'Daddy's Number One' mug that rested on the table beside her head, the remnants of hot chocolate crusted to the bottom and sides. He'd never thought that a mob boss would have any love or show any affection for their progeny, but perhaps British gangsters were just different.

He knew that he wasn't the only one who'd expressed interest in destroying Steven Doherty, but he was definitely the first that had the balls to waltz right in and kidnap his only daughter, the most precious thing to Doherty. He'd brought ten of his best guys with him, expecting the house to be guarded like a medieval fortress, but aside from the two burly men at the gates, he hadn't run into any security. This was _Gotham._ The guy must be stupid to not have his home watched, _especially_ when 'Daddy's Number One' was asleep, alone and completely defenceless.

The said daughter began to stir, her eyelids fluttering delicately and her arms stretching upwards whilst she yawned and twisted her spine. Noticing this, he removed himself from her bedside and melted into the shadows on the far side of the bedroom. The covers rustled and the floor creaked when she slid out of bed without any grace, landing in a heap on the soft carpet. Upon feeling the carpet touch her face, she curled up and seemed to resume sleeping on the floor. He heard a small yipping sound and flicked out the blade of his switchknife, prepared to take on what he presumed to be an intruder with the same idea as he. He was however, unprepared when he saw a tiny black nose poke out from under the covers, before revealing its whole face, legs and soon its full body. The puppy leapt out of the bed and landed straight on the girl's stomach, winding her and making the dog become the recipient of a string of expletives. She tried to push the boisterous little thing off of her but the stubborn creature resisted and started licking inside the girl's ear. He gagged and she squealed and tried even harder to escape from the persistent animal.

"Squid, G-get off m-me," She gasped between bouts of laughter, her voice reaching an even higher pitch than her previous squeals. It was going right through him but he smiled, knowing that by taking her away, she'd be separated from the dog which would no doubt cause her pain. He also thought that the name was ridiculous. The girl clambered to her feet, her knees shaking. He raised his eyebrows when he saw her not-so-modest choice of nightwear and a disgusted frown formed on his face. The oversized t-shirt reached mid-thigh where it ended to reveal bony and bruised legs. He didn't like how skinny she was. Did they feed her here? He could tell, even in the darkness, that she lacked the generous features that he desired. Her collarbone jutted out from under her skin and her face was thin, gaunt and too pale.

She was not beautiful and he found himself disappointed by this. Her nose was tiny but her lips were wide and full, throwing off the balance of her face. Compared to the rest of her frame, her hair was like a voluminous mountain on top of her head. Shining slightly and falling in tangled waves down to her waist. He hadn't been expecting someone strikingly beautiful, but he'd predicted that she would at least have some form of tender beauty. He didn't like being wrong.

She stumbled over to the dressing table he'd been stood at only a few minutes before. He supposed that this must be how she came to collect so many bruises unless her father had a nasty habit for inflicting them, but judging from what he'd seen so far, he doubted that this was the case. An evil grin formed on his face when he saw her pick up the joker card that he'd placed after removing her hairbrush. He was about to step forward when she turned around, rolling her eyes as she did so before tossing it into the bin. This irritated him, but he decided to remain in his hiding spot before following her out of the door, sticking carefully to the shadows.

Down the winding path of corridors and stairs, he crept behind her, his shoes not making a sound but her heavy flat-footed steps echoed around the house. It was still dim outside, but hints of the sunrise were now becoming visible through the thin leaded windows. He was almost discovered when the girl's puppy bounded in between his legs and he felt himself have to fight to regain his balance. He'd kill the wretched thing one day, even if he had to drive back out to this house just to do so. She was headed to the kitchen, he surmised when he heard her belly growl impatiently. He didn't know that they'd reached the kitchen until he saw her stop, tuck her head into her shoulder and feel around blindly for the light switch.

_So, the little princess is scared of the dark? _He thought evilly to himself with many new possibilities coming to mind. She was certainly surprising him to say the least. Not what he'd expected unfortunately, but still what he needed. The spotlights in the ceiling blinked to life and light illuminated the charming room. Almost as though she were in a trance-like state, the girl made her way to a floor to ceiling cupboard where she took a plate and placed it on the central breakfast bar. Scuffing her feet across the floor with every agonisingly slow step, she shuffled over to the fridge and began searching for something to take her fancy. Whilst she was distracted by her choices, he crept out of the shadowed doorway and into the room, moving judiciously around the breakfast bar until he found the perfect place for him to stand. He heard her take a bite out of an apple and grab a few food items in her hands. Reaching around with skeletal fingers she grasped the handle on the fridge door and slammed it shut with a thump.

"Well, hello _beautiful._" He purred as soon as he saw her eyes dart to the right, towards him.

She dropped her foodstuffs, the carton of milk breaking upon impact with the floor, sending milk splattering all up the sides of the cupboards. A piercing scream burst forth from her lips and she turned on her heel, ready to run away only to slip on the spilt milk and slam her stomach into the breakfast bar. She groaned, but still tried to sprint away but not before she felt his iron-like grip clamp around her wrist. Petrified, she squirmed away from him, lashing out with her free arm and thrashing around like an oxygen starved fish. He managed to dodge another of her pathetic and poorly aimed punches to wrap his muscular forearm around her waist and bring up the cloth doused in chloroform up to her mouth and nose.

"Sh, sh, sh. There's a little fight in you Neve. I like that." He cackled.

Her struggling continued for a moment before she was completely limp in his arms and a triumphant grin broke out on his scarred face, cracking his makeup even further. This whole operation had been a lot easier than he'd expected. Removing the charm bracelet from her wrist, he then drew out a joker card from one of his many pockets and placed it on the counter along with the bracelet. He hoped that this would be message enough for her father. Hoisting her over his shoulder, he left the house, running down the driveway as quickly as he was capable before throwing her lifeless body into the back of the white van. After jumping into the passenger seat and barking a quick order at the driver, the tires squealed and the van sped off down the long driveway and back towards central Gotham.


	2. Forbidden Touch

p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 15.555556297302246px; line-height: 18.399999618530273px;"Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I don't own Batman or DC Comics because if I did I'd be bathing in milk like Cleopatra whilst being hand-fed Grapes by Tom Hiddleston./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" /p  
hr /hr /  
p class="MsoNormal" /p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;  
line-height:115%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US"strongChapter Two/strong/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;  
line-height:115%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US"Her head slammed against the metal sides of the van continually and she bit down on her tongue to prevent herself from outwardly showing any sign of consciousness. A woolly gloved hand came into contact with her face sharply making her cheek sting and her eyelids crack open slightly. Luckily, from what she could see the masked goon had turned away from her and was talking to another man. He asked the man about her./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;  
line-height:115%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US""Why don't you ask her yourself? Oh Neeeeve. I know you're awake…" The clownish voice sang. She shuddered in response, knowing that she couldn't continue to deceive him for any longer, and opened her eyes. When she was immediately met with the wide, yellow toothed grin of the Joker she shrank back, cowering away from the mad man. He giggled manically and rocked back and forth, twiddling the switchknife between his fingers nimbly. A wave of nausea hit her from the constant swerving of the white van and tried to adjust her position to a more comfortable one but found her hands to be tied with a zip-tie./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;  
line-height:115%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US"Somehow catching her slight movement in his peripheral vision, he started tutting her and waving his knife close to her face in the same manner that one would tell off a child./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;  
line-height:115%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US""Naughty, naughty, Neve. You shouldn't be trying to escape me." He cackled./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;  
line-height:115%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US""I-I wasn't–" She was cut off when he nodded to the burly thug on his left. The last thing she saw was his gold toothed grin and the butt of his gun being raised before she closed her eyes and awaited the inevitable. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"strongspan style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-ansi-language:  
EN-US"* * */span/strong/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;  
line-height:115%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US"Pain burst across the side of her head and her vision was blurred in her right eye. Blinking didn't help and seemed to make the pounding inside her head ache worse. From what she could see, the room was purple, small but clean, the only clutter being sheets of paper strewn untidily across a desk. Reaching a hand up to tuck her hair behind her ear, she felt the blood matting the strands together and sighed. After all, she'd known that her kidnapping was way overdue. She wondered if the Joker was somehow working for the Brecks but she disregarded the thought almost instantly. This man didn't seem like the type one could hire for a handsome fee. She knew better than to go snooping around the room incase she stumbled across any shrunken heads or severed-finger necklaces. Shoved up in the corner was a fading bookshelf with bowed shelves crammed full of books. She ghosted her fingers across the creased spines until she came to one particular copy that appeared more worn than the rest. Wiggling its neighbours out of the way she pulled out the book. Just about to flip it over to read the blurb, she jumped and threw it into the corner when she heard a voice behind her./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;  
line-height:115%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US""What are you doing?"/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;  
line-height:115%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US"She spun around only to be confronted with her fearsome abductor. "I-I just wanted to r-read…" Neve sputtered, trying desperately to think of an excuse should he not approve./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;  
line-height:115%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US""That's fine." He spat, throwing himself down on the bed angrily, like a moody teenager./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;  
line-height:115%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US""M-mkay." She whispered and wandered over to pick up the book before starting to read. Soon she become engrossed in the book which told the tale of a sociopath turned gangster, repulsed by the idea of sex and human contact and how he tried desperately to cover up a murder he committed. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;  
line-height:115%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US""Come here." The Joker looked at her and saw her eyes flicking from left to right, soaking up the printed words on the page before her. She licked her finger before turning the page and he gathered that she was too absorbed by the story to have noticed him call her. He'd soon change that./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;  
line-height:115%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US""COME HERE!" He bellowed in a near-demonic voice causing her to whip her head up and slam it back against the wall behind her. She winced and eyed him suspiciously but much to his surprise she didn't make an effort to leave her current position. He presumed this was out of fear./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;  
line-height:115%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US""If I wanted to hurt you, I'd have done it already." He rolled his eyes. "Come here, I won't say it again." He finished./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;  
line-height:115%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US"She uncrossed her stiff legs and staggered over to where he was sat; careful to keep what she decided was a good distance between her and him. She flinched when he reached under the bed, fumbling until he withdrew what appeared to be an old lunch tin. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;  
line-height:115%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US""Here." He shoved the container in her direction. She flicked open the clasps and emptied the contents out onto the bed, medical supplies now scattered all over the covers. She looked up at him confusedly. He began to unbutton his patterned shirt, grimacing as he did so. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;  
line-height:115%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US""P-put your shirt back on…" She gasped, averting her eyes to ground and not-so-subtly shuffling away from him./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;  
line-height:115%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US""Getting you all flustered, am I? Besides, you can't patch up my arm if I have a shirt on." He giggled at her discomfort, tossing his shirt behind him. Much to her relief he was wearing a /spanspan lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"white ribbed vest underneath./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;  
line-height:115%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US"She gulped when she caught notice of the steady stream of blood flowing from a neat gash along his bicep./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;  
line-height:115%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US""What happened?" She questioned, not fully expecting an answer./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;  
line-height:115%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US""Some nobody thought he could pull a knife on me. Me? Got me good once before I showed him how it's really done." He snarled causing Neve to shudder at the unpleasant image now invading her mind. She looked carefully at the wound./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;  
line-height:115%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US""I see it's mostly stopped bleeding… let's see what we have here." She said, and began to rummage through the pile of supplies on the bed until she found what she sought. Abruptly, she stood up and walked over to the small bathroom, flicking the dim light on. She turned the tap and water gushed out over her hands before she lathered them with soap./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;  
line-height:115%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US""Erm, mister… mister…" She turned to him, biting her lip in uncertainty./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;  
line-height:115%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US""Just call me Joker." He bit out./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;  
line-height:115%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US""Mister Joker, can you come and sit in here please?" Neve asked nervously, gesturing to the bathroom she was currently in. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;  
line-height:115%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US""No 'mister' required." He responded, unexpectedly getting up and making his way to her without questioning her request./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;  
line-height:115%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US"He sat down on the side of the bathtub, undeterred by the crusted blood staining the white ceramic. He'd been hoping to make her squirm with the prospect of helping him take care of a fresh injury but he'd been left disappointed when she didn't appear to be phased. He studied her whilst she dried her hands on the back of her pajama bottoms and exited the bathroom temporarily to retrieve the supplies she'd decided to use. The Joker eyed her warily when she picked up a bottle of iodine./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;  
line-height:115%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US""D'ya know what you're doing?" He asked before she could get any closer./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;  
line-height:115%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US""Y-yeah. I have my first aid b-badge from Girl Guides." She stuttered, but placed the bottle back down on the sill of the sink and began to look for something else to start treating his arm./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;  
line-height:115%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US"He turned his head away and kicked the empty metal bin with side of his foot repeatedly as his patience with the girl started to wear thin. A sharp pain shot through his upper arm and he winced audibly, turning to the girl. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;  
line-height:115%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US""Could you be a bit more fucking gentle?!" He bellowed when he looked down to see that she had wrapped an alcohol wipe around her index finger and then jabbed it into the wound. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;  
line-height:115%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US""S-sorry." She drew her hands up to her chest quickly and backed away until her lower back made contact with the cold sink behind her. Her eyes brimmed with salty moisture and she averted her eyes to the ground sharply./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;  
line-height:115%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US""Don't start your tears on me or I'll cut your eyes out, got it?" The boredom in his voice was apparent and she cursed herself for letting him sadden her./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;  
line-height:115%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US""I hate women… Do nothing but cry and irritate me. You should think yourself lucky you're not dead already, sweetheart. It's only 'cause I need you for something. I can slit your pretty little throat after that, don't you worry." He cautioned eerily, making Neve clear of his intentions towards her, but making her even more reluctant to approach him and finish treating him. Seemingly he could read minds as he reached over with his good arm and latched his callused fingers around her forearm, pulling her closer to him./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;  
line-height:115%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US""Put the damn dressing on." He growled./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;  
line-height:115%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US"He released his grip on her and she whipped around to face away from him whilst her hands ghosted over the small collection of medical supplies she'd transferred from the bed to the sink. Every time she went to pick up something incorrect, his not-so-quiet sounds of annoyance and exasperation alerted her of her mistake and she'd go back to searching for the correct dressing. Eventually, she removed a medium sized box from the pile and fought against a smirk when no sound of disagreement escaped from him. Removing the dressing from its packaging she covered the wound and gave the edges a rub to check it had been sealed./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;  
line-height:115%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US""All done, Joker-sir." She whispered./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;  
line-height:115%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US"When no 'thank you' was heard, she looked up at him to see him turned to the side, staring at the door handle and knocking the shower curtain with his elbow. His eyes were out of focus, and he appeared to be in a world of his own. Curiously, she tilted her head and looked at the violent welts that marred his features./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;  
line-height:115%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US" "How did you get them?" She whispered almost to herself, before reaching out slowly with her fingertips, longing to brush them over the foreign scars that cut across his cheeks. She was filled with anticipation when there were only a precious few centimetres of air separating her outstretched hand and his face but then a whooshing noise filled the air only a few milliseconds before her face was struck, lashing it to the side violently and causing her to crash to floor beside the bathtub. Suddenly, the Joker was stood up and looming over her in a rage, his face angry./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;  
line-height:115%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US""You never touch them, okay?! Just get out! Get the fuck out before you ruin everything!" He roared, his shouts echoing around the bathroom and out into the adjoining bedroom. His eyes were narrowed and the black greasepaint around his eyes became creased and cracked./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;  
line-height:115%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US"Without further thought, she picked herself up from the floor and ran, desperate to get away from the monster she'd left behind. She wrenched the door open, not bothering to close it behind her and skidded down the corridor, tripping over her own feet in her clumsy haste to get away. She thundered down the stairs, skimming her hand over the rail to keep herself balanced. Heading towards the living room, she stopped when voices and a television could be heard from her desired destination. Wary of making any more noise, despite the racket she had just created, she began to back up towards the stairs before she collapsed down onto the bottom step./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;  
line-height:115%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US"She felt a smooth hand brush against her shoulder and she gasped, mistaking it for the Joker's./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;  
line-height:115%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US""P-please don't hurt me…" She whimpered./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;  
line-height:115%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US""I'm not gonna, calm yourself gal. I got ya some water and a snot rag. No offense, but ya look like shit." The brusque man offered./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;  
line-height:115%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US""Thank you, I'm not surprised. You work for him?" She replied politely./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;  
line-height:115%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US""Ya welcome, and yeah, name's Liam. Bin' workin' for the boss for bout a year now. Lasted longer than I thought it was gonna. Reckoned I'd be in a ditch come the end of the first month. What's ya name? I can't keep callin' you 'gal'." He joked./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;  
line-height:115%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US""My name's Neve. Neve Doherty?" /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;  
line-height:115%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US""Doherty?! Oh boy… The boss has really gone and done it now. Ya old man's sure gonna be mad bout this." Liam seemed to be nervous now, and he ran a hand through his messy mop of red hair./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;  
line-height:115%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US""Is he always this angry? Unpredictable?" She asked, desperate to find out just how likely it was he would harm her again./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;  
line-height:115%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US""He likes ta think he's unpredictable, but he loses his rag so often that some of the guys don't leave their room unless they're wanted on a job. Ya really don't wanna be around when he blows up. I'm guessing from that nasty mark on ya face that you already know that?" Liam surmised./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;  
line-height:115%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US""I touched his scars…" She admitted sheepishly./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;  
line-height:115%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US""Damn, gal. You got lucky." He whistled and raised his eyebrows in shock./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;  
line-height:115%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US""What do you mean?" She asked confusedly./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;  
line-height:115%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US""I've heard things, from the guys, that a couple o' whores have tried the same." He lowered his voice./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;  
line-height:115%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US""And? What happened?" She wondered./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;  
line-height:115%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US""And, they're in pieces at the bottom of the river." He finished./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;  
line-height:115%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US""What the fuck is wrong with that guy?" She almost shouted, her fear getting the better of her./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;  
line-height:115%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US""Lot's o' things, Neve. Lot's o' things. Don't think on it too much. Come on, I'll introduce you to some of the guys." He looked at her sympathetically before hooking and arm over her shoulder and steering her towards the kitchen area./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;  
line-height:115%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US""Hey guys, this is Nev– Snipes, where is everyone?" He stopped, surprised to find a lone occupant./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;  
line-height:115%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US""Out." The man, Snipes, replied./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;  
line-height:115%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US""Oh, well, this is Neve. Boss brought her here." Liam said, trying to encourage Snipes to break out of his one-word answers./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;  
line-height:115%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US""Pleasure." He spoke./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;  
line-height:115%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US"Neve's stomach grumbled in a sound that resembled a bull-frog and she clasped her hands over her mid-section in embarrassment and surprise./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;  
line-height:115%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US""Can I get something to eat? Please?" She looked up at Liam with pleading eyes./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;  
line-height:115%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US""Fridge." Liam replied, in a poor imitation of Snipes that came out sounding more like a caveman. Snipes gave him a withering look./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;  
line-height:115%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US""Thank you." She said and made her way over to the dirty refrigerator. Luckily, the inside wasn't anywhere near as grimy as the exterior and so she felt safe to ingest the contents. Carefully, she picked up a sealed plastic bag of spring rolls and took them over to the small pine dining table. She nibbled at the first one cautiously but after deeming them safe, ate the others in a mad rush, satisfying her empty stomach slightly. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;  
line-height:115%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US"The front door opened and two of the Joker's goons walked in with a heavily-made up prostitute following in behind them, giggling. She cast a disdainful glance in Neve's direction before returning her attention to the two men escorting her. Neve cowered when the stairs creaked and the Joker walked down collectedly. The woman looked at him with fear but when he whispered a few words in her ear, she went back to her former flirtatious state./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;  
line-height:115%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US"Wrapping his hand around her forearm, he looked over to where Liam, Neve and Snipes were sat. Ignoring her completely he spoke directly to the two men./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;  
line-height:115%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US""Nobody disturb me for a few hours. Snipes, watch she doesn't get any funny ideas." He instructed before leaving up the stairs, nearly dragging the woman behind him./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;  
line-height:115%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US"When she was sure he was out of earshot, but lowering her voice to a whisper just in case, she turned to Liam and Snipes./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;  
line-height:115%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US""Is that a p-prostitute?" She hissed to them./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;  
line-height:115%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US""Get used to it, girly, All the guys have them 'cept me an' Liam. I got a wife and I'd put money on Liam being a bummer." Snipes rolled his eyes, but teased Liam good-naturedly./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;  
line-height:115%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US""Hey! I aint no cocksucker." Liam shouted, insulted at Snipes' insinuation. Neve stifled a laugh./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;  
line-height:115%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US""Think it's funny do ya, gal? I get enough of it from Snipes, I don't need it from ya too." He teased./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;  
line-height:115%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US"The three sat in a quiet, yet companionable silence. Neve played with her nails, Snipes continues to sharpen his knife and Liam just stared off into space. Their silence was broken by the sound of exaggerated moans, the occasional grunt and the dull thump of a bedframe hitting the wall./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;  
line-height:115%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US"Neve's face contorted in disgust./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;  
line-height:115%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US""Ew…" She mumbled./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;  
line-height:115%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US"Liam and Snipes on the other hand, seemed completely unaffected by what was going on upstairs and even turned to each other knowingly./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;  
line-height:115%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US""Wait for it…" They both said./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;  
line-height:115%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US"Confused, Neve tilted her head and looked at them in a signal for them to explain, however this went unnoticed by the two./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;  
line-height:115%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US"It became clear, when familiar manic laughter sounded from upstairs along with a high-pained scream. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;  
line-height:115%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US""Is he killing her?" Neve shot up from her chair and started to run towards to stairs. She was stopped by Snipes./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;  
line-height:115%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US""Don't. He'll end up killin' ya too. Just don't." He kept his tight grip upon her arm until he felt her relax./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;  
line-height:115%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US"The screaming ceased but the laughter continued and they heard the thump of a dead body being pushed off the bed and then dragged along the wooden floors./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;  
line-height:115%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US"Neve stayed staring at the knots in the wood and imagined him upstairs now, scrubbing the bloodstains off the floor, changing the bed sheets, as though it were nothing out of the ordinary. A part of it horrified her, but then another, more repressed part, wondered what had drove him to be the way he was. What had pushed him just that emlittle bit /emtoo far./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;  
line-height:115%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US"Someone cleared their throat and she blinked a few times to banish the disturbing images that were invading her mind before turning to Liam. He widened his eyes and jerked his head to the stairs where the Joker stood smirking./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;  
line-height:115%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US""Neeeeeeve. It's bedtime for little girls." He sneered in a childish tone, speaking her name but looking at the two men./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;  
line-height:115%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US"Luckily for her, Liam spoke. "Aww, boss. We were having fun!"/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;  
line-height:115%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US"Ignoring Liam's comment he looked towards Neve for the first time since she'd left his room earlier that evening./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;  
line-height:115%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US""Upstairs now, Neve." The Joker commanded./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;  
line-height:115%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US""Y-y-yes, sir." She stammered fearfully before careening past the dreadful clown and tripping up the stairs in her haste./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;  
line-height:115%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US"Before taking his leave, he cast a warning glace towards Liam. "Hands to yourself around her, Liam, you got it?" He cautioned./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;  
line-height:115%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US""Yes, boss." The younger man replied in affirmative./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;  
line-height:115%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US""Good". The Joker said, before making up the stairs after Neve./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" /p  
hr /  
p class="MsoNormal" /p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;  
line-height:115%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US"A/N: Thank you for reading. Fair warning though, this story is going to get progressively darker, and chapter four contains some distressing and mature situations. If you don't like it, I suggest you stop reading as that is mild in comparison to what will be coming later on in the fic. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;  
line-height:115%;mso-ansi-language:EN-US"The songs that I listened to whilst writing this chapter up go as follows: Royal Blood - Come On Over, The Black Keys - Fever and The Happy Mondays - 24 Hour Party People./span/p 


	3. Personal Space

**A/N: Here you go; chapter three. I will be using my instagram to let people know when I'm going to update with the next chapter. Feel free to follow: lucylizjones**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Batman or DC Comics because if I did I would be using all my money to hire Jamie Campbell Bower to dance before me to Insane In The Membrane every morning at 9 o'clock.**

* * *

**Chapter Three**

Neve lay eerily still in bed, her eyes shut, but she was very much awake. The hinges on the bedroom door creaked open and she quickly began to regulate her breathing, hoping to create the illusion that she was in fact asleep. Carefully, she squinted through her eyelashes and saw the dim flickering light come to life in the bathroom and the sound of tap water running and a soft, deep humming emerged from the small room and flooded her ear drums with its rough, resonating sound. She could faintly make out the tune of _Always Look on the Bright Side of Life_, and she struggled to hold back a snort as she was reminded of home in England. In a flash, he'd disappeared from her sight, presumably to dry off his face, but was soon back in view as he exited from the bathroom, lacking a shirt. She couldn't help but feel like she was intruding and tried to a great extent to continue staring at the now closed bathroom door. Although her vision was poor in the darkness and with her eyes squinted near shut, she could tell that he was handsome, even with the vicious scars marring his facial features along with the various ones that littered his body. Closing her eyes fully, and attempting to drift off into sleep she was unaware of him silently padding over to her side of the bed when he stood for a minute, inspecting her, whilst remain vigilant of where his shadow fell in the room as he didn't desire to disturb her. Before he could make sense of his actions and control himself, he'd leant down and pulled the blankets up around her shoulders from where they'd fallen to her waist. Cursing himself for his unusual display of kindness, he turned away hastily and made his way round to the left side of the bed and climbing in.

Doing her best to be subtle, and to make her movements natural, Neve began to delicately shift as far away from the Joker as she could, trying not to alert him of her consciousness. She let out a shaky breath when she felt her body begin to teeter over the edge of the bed and realised that this was most likely the furthest she would be able to get away from him. Snuggling back down into the covers, she forced her one eye open, not trusting the clown at all and so feeling the need to keep watch over the night.

"Go to sleep, Neve. I'm not going to hurt you." His gravelly voice broke the silence and made her jump, shaking the mattress a little.

"What possessed you to get in my bed? And why are you shirtless?" She hissed at him, still not able to summon up the courage to face the man.

He chuckled before replying. "For starters, you're in _my _bed, and so I have every right to be here. And I normally sleep with much less than this on, I just thought I'd try and make your first night comfortable. I'll be more than happy to strip off just for you though."

"Your bed?" She was shocked. "Your room..?"

"Mhmm, catch on quick don'tcha?" He retorted sarcastically.

"I'll sleep on the floor then." Before he could answer she'd leapt out of the bed, swept up her pillow under her arm and made a dash to the far corner of the room where she proceeded to plump her pillow and then lie down in a fetal position. Her back was too him and she struggled to control her trembling, still ever so fearful of the man currently staring incredulously at her from his space in the large bed she had just deserted.

He pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance before speaking. "Neve, don't be stupid. I'm tired. I've already said I won't hurt you. I'll keep my hands to myself, we can even build a pillow wall if it makes you happy."

"I'm a prisoner, I'm not supposed to be happy." She sobbed.

"Details… just get the fuck off the floor." He discarded her previous comment.

"I don't want to sleep in the same bed you fucked and gutted a whore on!" She all but screamed.

"Talk to me like that again and I'll cut your tongue out. Is little Neve jealous?" He threatened and then taunted.

She scoffed, not at his threat but at his insinuation that she was jealous. She'd rather be on the receiving end of the 'gutting' as opposed to the 'fucking' regardless of how handsome he may be behind the hideous makeup.

An exasperated sigh escaped his lips and Neve could here rustling from the bed. With the darkness, and her face to the wall, she was unaware of what was happening in the room around her.

"W-what are y-you d-doing? Pu-put the knife d-down, Joker." She called out into the room, the seriousness of the situation suddenly dawning on her. He could kill her at any moment and she wouldn't stand a chance against him. Even if you turned on the lights and gave her a weapon, she still knew that he would and could kill her mercilessly.

And then she was in the air, hoisted off the ground by the very man currently occupying her terrified thoughts and a shrill scream burst forth from her mouth. He winces and continued to carry her bridal style back over to the bed. She screamed obscenities at him before he clamped a hand over her mouth, muffling her cries of protest.

"Shut up." He spoke shortly before tossing her back onto the bed which she hit with a heavy thud. "Now go to fucking sleep."

She resumed her position at the far side of the bed and felt herself unwillingly smile when she felt a wall of pillows from behind her back, separating her from the mass-murdering clown as effectively as she could hope for. Once finished with his construction he rolled over onto his back and stared up at the ceiling. He blinked repeatedly before looking back at the pillow wall between him and Neve, her shoulder being the only thing visible to him. Regardless of her less than adequate physique, he felt a surge of lust at having a woman sleeping in his bed but shook his head and disregarded the feelings knowing that Neve was not here for that, but just as bait for her father. He could get a whore anytime should he need one. He could kill them too without it affecting his carefully laid out plans.

Silence descended upon the house. After harsh instruction from the Joker, the men had all gone and settled down ready for an early night. Only the sounds of the surrounding woods breached the bedroom walls, making the journey to slumber an easy one. She was lay peacefully, her right arm hanging off the edge of the bed and her steady breathing the only thing disturbing the blankets. He was sat, propped up with a couple of pillows placed behind his back, reading and occasionally casting a glance at her sleeping form. Every now and then she would stir and he would feel for the table lamp's switch, ready to flick it off leaving her unaware of his watching over her. It was imperative to him that she didn't develop any idea that he _cared _for her. He wanted to remain the monster in his eyes, even though he knew she may be the only one who could accept him for what he is now, as opposed to what he used to be. He also needed to keep his distance. If that meant that he had to resort to brute force and domination then so be it. He wasn't afraid to hit a woman, not if they deserved it. And deep down, somewhere in his twisted mind, he knew that she wouldn't deserve any beatings that she may receive. She was the perfect child that his own parents always wished for, but most likely wouldn't have appreciated had she been theirs. He'd taken a look at her school records, not surprised when he found her out to be the recipient of glowing reports and outstanding grades. Of course, he wasn't expecting anything less, being the daughter of a notorious British gangster. She probably always had the best.

He relished in knowing he'd be taking her father away from her, the same way his father was taken away from him. Even though his father had often beaten him to a bloody pulp, leaving his scarred and bruised to be taunted by his peers, he'd missed out on having the vital father figure that all the other boys had. He may have killed his father according to the law, but in his eyes, he saw the death of his dear mother as what killed his father. It drove the once humble and loving man to heavy drinking, drugs and gambling and he'd had to stand by and witness his father's downwards spiral into madness. He'd kill Neve's father without mercy. After all, the guy was trying to steal his city and make a name for himself in Gotham and _nobody _could try and steal Gotham from him without suffering the consequences of incurring his wrath. He might even make his dear little flower watch. She was in need of a lesson on how the real world works. Perhaps watching him slit daddy dearest's throat would wake her up from cloud cuckoo land.

She wriggled further down into the duvet, grabbing a corner of it and giving it a harsh tug so that she succeeded in pulling the blanket completely over to her side. Her mission accomplished, she gave a heavy sigh before settling back down and falling back into a deep sleep. He growled when the cold air circulating around the bedroom hit his semi-naked form and tried desperately to haul some of the blanket back over to his side, only to feel her resist and wrap herself further up in the duvet. He began to shiver, despising himself for allowing her to have such a hold over him even in her slumber. Being unintentionally careful, he slid out of bed and made his way over to his desk, flicking on the small desktop light and illuminating the blueprints for one of his latest schemes. Despite what he said to the Batman, he was most definitely a schemer. Unlike some other of Gotham's characters, he didn't like to leave things to chance, especially not the more spectacular ideas of his. Every little detail was planned; every possible crease in his plans was ironed out until everything was absolutely perfect. He cast a sideways glance to Neve who was still asleep, but now struggling against the blankets which enveloped her. He huffed and mumbled insults under his breath and chose to leave her to her own devices. He hadn't meant to leave his plans out, and he cursed himself for making such a stupid blunder. When he'd left the house in a rush earlier, one of his men could have easily gained access to them as they were all proficient lock pickers and ruined all his plans by reporting him to the police. Even though they claimed to be loyal to him out of fear of meeting a very bloody end, he had to deal with plenty traitors who'd thought it a wise idea to reveal his plans to Gordon, the mob or the Batman. Safe to say, they'd all met a similar fate, and were now rotting at the bottom of the river.

He heaved a sigh and rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand, feeling tired for the first time in a week. All of his activities were catching up on him and the stress of kidnapping Neve had definitely affected his sleeping patterns. All that planning, organising and running around had taken its toll on both his mind and body. Reluctantly, he switched off the desktop lamp and dragged himself back to bed. It wasn't uncommon for him to suffer bouts of insomnia with his mind constantly turning and plotting. Dumping himself back down on top of the covers he rolled over to be met by the pillow wall. Rolling his eyes, he flipped over onto his back and twiddled his thumbs miserably. All of a sudden remembering the draft in the room, he yanked half the covers out from Neve's clutches and climbed underneath, happy at the sudden increase in warmth. Feeling his eyes flutter closed, he hoped that sleep would find him easily and conclude his day the way he wanted.


End file.
